Registration is open for the 2022 Cathedral Caverns trail run at Cathedral Caverns State Park, one of the Southeast’s coolest parks and events.
Runners can choose between the 15K or 5K routes. Both start on pavement for a short clip, then dive into the woods to climb Pisgah Mountain. The top is more than 1,000 feet but the trail doesn’t go to the tip-top. The 15K runners loop through the woods before descending to a mix of woods and road to the cave.
At the cave, everyone enters the massive mouth on the path to run to the back. If you’re trying for a PR, cool. If you want to enjoy one of the most awesome caves in the country, take your time. Take photos. Look at the stalactites and stalagmites, the calcium formations, the different shapes and colors. It’s pretty damned amazing. And then scoot on back to the finish line. It’s about 1.2 miles in the cave, on a path wide enough for two-way traffic. You can use a light but your eyes will adjust pretty quickly.
In 2020, when almost everything was shut down due to the pandemic restrictions, runners from about 10 states competed in the Cathedral Caverns trail run. Running Lane puts on the event. At its half-marathon spring event, more than 300 runners from 25 states competed. The cave and routes are big drawing points.
Temperatures are comfortable. The 5K and 15K events are capped at 300 runners each.
Men’s record – 2021, Jonathan Schaefer, 23, set the men’s 15K record with a sizzling 1:01:47, while Emily Spry (32) holds the women’s record with a 1:17:01.
Check out this video from the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources about Cathedral Caverns State Park:
